If things proceed as Iran insist, can Syria be left out?

Iran's IRGC gets new base in Syria within missile range of Western targets

GERTZ-Syria has granted Iran's elite military force a base near the Lebanese border for the deployment of intermediate-range missiles meant to strike U.S. and Western targets.

Syrian opposition sources said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been given the keys to a new base near Homs in western Syria. They said the base was located less than 50 kilometers from Lebanon and was being used for training as well as the deployment of the Shihab-3 missile, with a range of at least 2,000 kilometers.

The Washington-based Reform Party of Syria said IRGC has complete control of the Syrian military base. RPS said there was no Syrian presence detected in the facility.

"There is no Syrian presence at the base, which makes it a fully operational foreign base and the first of its kind in the country," RPS, based on intelligence reports from Syria, said.

Nothing interesting here

I mean it's not like via the IRGC and cat's paw Hizballah Iran is not making a play for both Syria and Lebanon. There also seem to be this nation in between Iran and Syria

I always thought the optometrist was at base a moron.

Now, let's imagine you are america's only ally in the regiion and you are watching the debate in the USA over Viet..., whoops, excuse me, Iraq.
Imagine that your intelligence, which has never been terrible, tells you unequivocally that in 18 month at the latest Iran will have a nuclear weapon, but it will be difficult ot deliver (FROM IRAN) and you are watching the IRGC co-opt Syria, watching mullahs pay money for converts to Shiism there, watching Hizballah control AT A MINIMUM that area of Lebanon abutting your border

 

What would you do?

The only question is where to start.

And when.

Imagine you are the hereditary leader of a small, resourceless kingdom, and you are watching the debate in the USA over Viet..., whoops, excuse me, Iraq. Imagine your intelligence is telling you that the overwhelming popular sentiment in the USA is to get out of dodge. Imagine that history tells you the americans did nothing to Iran from 1979 until the present day no matter what provocations, or attacks occurred.

What policy would you follow?

Now insert that into the the leadership of the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Pakistan ... am I coming through?

It would be critical to NOT NEED THE OIL.

However today it is a vital national interest.

Vital.